A lodging space and event center in the Ojai Valley that was on the verge of closing because of financial troubles will now stay open for the foreseeable future.

The Ojai Retreat, a five-acre property in the Meiners Oaks area, has been in the valley for almost 25 years. The retreat offers 12 guest rooms set amid gardens overlooking the mountains and an event space that hosts cultural and educational programs throughout the year.

Several local organizations use the retreat for meetings. The retreat operates as a nonprofit.

Executive Director Ulrich Brugger, a former philosophy teacher from Switzerland, founded the retreat in 1993. However, he said it has become difficult to support continued operation of the facility, given that it has just 12 rooms. Demand for the rooms is high, he said, but the proceeds don’t cover day-to-day expenses. As a result, he’s had to pitch in his own money — about $7,500 a month — to cover the deficit, he said.

According to the facility’s website, room rates range from $90 to $309.

The retreat is trying to secure a permit from the county to build four additional cabins on the property. Brugger believes these would bring in more than enough money to cover the retreat’s expenses. However, the county has yet to issue the permit — and it’s been a year and a half since the Ojai Retreat submitted the application, Brugger said.

“The basic problem is that we don’t have enough rooms,” he said. “I hoped by now we would have got the permit.”

In December, the retreat put out an urgent plea for donations to help sustain operations for another year while it awaited the permit. If it could not raise $200,000 by the end of the year, the retreat and cultural center would have to close Jan. 1, Brugger said.

“There was no other solution. It was difficult to ask people to make a donation,” he said. “I’d hoped sooner or later, the county would come around.”

A few days ago, Brugger said the retreat had raised $85,000 from the community. He said he was selling a home he owns in Switzerland to cover the remaining amount needed to keep the Ojai Retreat open.

“We sincerely thank those of you who made large or small donations, sent encouragement and prayers, and/or offered volunteer hours,” Brugger and Ojai Retreat President Carl Olmstead wrote in a newsletter announcement. “This is very much appreciated!“

Brugger said he is confident the permit will come through by the end of the year. The retreat is also looking into renting out the property for film shoots, which would bring in additional revenue, he said.

Ojai Mayor Johnny Johnston said he’d been in contact with Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett’s office to try to speed up the permitting process. He said the Ojai Retreat is important to the valley.

“It’s a great resource,” he said. “A lot of people who live in the valley go up there, as well as people who come to visit the valley, and they have provided it as a community meeting space… for a lot of the nonprofits and others organizations.